Rubbery Ribs…FAIL
A few weekends back, I decided to lock myself up in the kitchen and attempt to make myself a meal. It was snowing and it was far too cold outside to arrange my customary weekend dinner plans…not to mention the sad state of my dwindling bank account.
With barely anything edible in the refrigerator and not a single fresh fruit or vegetable in sight, I dug deep into the depths of my freezer and found a rack of frozen pork ribs. I threw the ribs in the microwave to defrost, and stood there, watching the ribs spin around and around, while ideas on how to cook them danced around in my head.
My first instinct was to slather some barbecue sauce on them and throw them on the grill in the backyard…the only problem was the 20cm of snow that was continuing to fall from the sky. Alternatively, I could’ve used a slow cooker to simmer the meat until it was tender and falling off the bone…but that would take 6-8 hours and I was hungry NOW. In a panic, I pre-heated the oven to 350° F, brushed the defrosted ribs with some Budweiser barbecue sauce that I found in the fridge, and let the ribs cook in the oven for 45 minutes.
Drunk off of the tantalizing aroma that now permeated the kitchen, I anxiously pulled the ribs out of the oven and let them cool on the dining room table. Barely able to wait 5 minutes, I risked third-degree burns and sawed off a rib for a tasting. The meat was tough, but juicy. The barbecue sauce was bland and disappointing, and at that point I wondered if it was past its expiry date. It was tiring, having to gnaw at the rubbery ribs to get the meat off the bone. It reminded me of the not so appetizing ribs that are often served at poor quality Chinese buffets.
What a waste of a rack of ribs. It was edible, but hardly satisfying. I wish I had been more patient and at least cooked the ribs in the slow cooker. Or I could have boiled the ribs in water to make the meat more tender, before broiling them in the oven. Stupid winter always ruins everything! All I could do is gaze longingly at the barbecue grill on the deck and imagine the ribs that could have been…